from "PUB 101: Publication of Self in Everyday Life"

Monthly Archives: January 2018

On this post, I will be doing a peer review on one of my classmate’s blog. The blog I will be reviewing is called Sam’s SFU Publishing 101 Blog. Sam’s visual aspect of his blog is very simple and classy. He uses the three main colours of black, white and yellow as well as some navy blue to extenuate the cleanness of his theme. This look is very easy on the eye, and it does not take away from his writing which I find is a very important factor. His site it very easy to navigate which is very helpful as a viewer. It makes me want to visit his site again as I had a pleasant experience. His placement of his pages are very strategic as it is easy to find and does not cause any confusion or frustration for his audience. In Sam’s blog, Sam presents himself to his audience as a friendly, easy going, fun guy who communicates with his visitors in a personable way. He uses sarcasm and jokes that are not confusing and as a viewer, I genuinely appreciated his outlook and his tone of speech. It made everything less serious and more like I was coming to talk to a friend. I also appreciated his sense of realism. I could tell through the screen that Sam was not putting on a “face” for his audience. Everything that he wrote I could tell was from the heart. He was not trying to impress anyone or try to sound cool in any way. This is a very important factor for me as a reader. I want to be able to trust that the person putting forth the material cares what he or she talks about. The creator should be able to portray a sense of realism that readers can see through the screen, and Sam’s blog does exactly that. I also like how light-hearted Sam’s blog is. It is almost like a mini get away from reality that viewers can escape to. His sense of humor is funny for all people and none of the materials he puts forth are offensive in any way. If I were to give Sam some suggestions on how to improve his blog, I would incorporate some music or photos into his blog. I feel like this could really personalize the blog and make it even more fun for the audience to enjoy. Great job Sam!! I look forward to reading more of your blog:)

I click through to Helen’s blog and I am greeted with a simple theme that is true to the title of her blog, “Simply Helen J.” The title of her blog stands out as it is a subtle bright pink opposed to her tagline that is grey. Helen has chosen a great theme because it is simple and easy to read. The theme is also very accessible, because navigation is clear, and each post provides you with easy sharing icons to different social media platforms.

However, I think it would look better if she would rename the ‘other’ option on her menu for PUB 101. The menu is divided into concise categories that give me a sense of her blog without scrolling down or clicking through to her ‘about me’page. Overall, I think Helen has chosen the perfect theme for her blog as it reflects what her title states and only needs to make minor changes to the menu.

There is a small box on the right side of the blog for Helen’s ‘About Me.’ My immediate thought is that I wish I didn’t have to click ‘Read more’ to continue reading. I’m impressed with how Helen wrote her mini-about me because it captures her blog in two sentences. When I click ‘Read more,’ I wish the about me box was better connected to her ‘About Me’ page. I think maybe Helen could start by connecting to the two then introduce herself? Also, I believe her about me should be longer since when a reader clicks ‘Read more’ they anticipate more details and currently her write up feels incomplete. Helen is on the right track with her ‘About Me’ page, but just needs to slightly add to it.

The content on Helen’s blog is amazing! The post “DIY Air Plant Terrarium,” has the perfect balance of text and images that DIY post needs. Although, I think it would be more beneficial to make the images smaller to create a better visual balance between the texts and images. I also like how not all of the posts in a row are DIYs, because the post “What’s in my Purse,” is a light-hearted easy-to-read post. Helen tags her posts appropriately, which will make it easier for her readers to search for posts when she further develops her blog.

Helen has created an online persona that is relaxed and welcoming, which I think will appeal to individuals that share similar interests as her. I think she currently only needs to tweak her ‘About Me’ page to be more detailed and her menu, otherwise her theme and content are good.

I’m not a crafty person… but I might try making an air plant terrarium since she makes it look so easy! Don’t forget to check out her blog to get inspired!

On this post, I will be doing a peer review on one of my classmate’s blog. The blog I will be reviewing is called Sam’s SFU Publishing 101 Blog http://sgonline.ca. Sam’s visual aspect of his blog is very simple and classy. He uses the three main colours of black, white and yellow as well as some navy blue to extenuate the cleanness of his theme. This look is very easy on the eye, and it does not take away from his writing which I find is a very important factor. His site is very easy to navigate which is very helpful as a viewer. It makes me want to visit his site again as I had a pleasant experience. The placement of his pages is very strategic as it is easy to find and does not cause any confusion or frustration for his audience. In Sam’s blog, Sam presents himself to his audience as a friendly, easy going, fun guy who communicates with his visitors in a personable way. He uses sarcasm and jokes that are not confusing and as a viewer, I genuinely appreciated his outlook and his tone of speech. It made everything less serious and more like I was coming to talk to a friend. I also appreciated his sense of realism. I could tell through the screen that Sam was not putting on a “face” for his audience. Everything that he wrote I could tell was from the heart. He was not trying to impress anyone or try to sound cool in any way. This is a very important factor for me as a reader. I want to be able to trust that the person putting forth the material cares what he or she talks about. The creator should be able to portray a sense of realism that readers can see through the screen, and Sam’s blog does exactly that. I also like how light-hearted Sam’s blog is. It is almost like a mini get away from the reality that viewers can escape to. His sense of humor is funny for all people and none of the materials he puts forth are offensive in any way. If I were to give Sam some suggestions on how to improve his blog, I would incorporate some music or photos into his blog. I feel like this could really personalize the blog and make it even more fun for the audience to enjoy. Great job Sam!! I look forward to reading more of your blog:)

Something that I say a lot is, “I’m craving something thick.” That sounds a bit odd, but it’s true – sometimes, I just really want a thick smoothie! I find that the smoothies that you can get at Jugo Juice or Booster Juice are just a bit too watery and therefore, unsatisfying. So, I decided to make my own smoothie, just the way I like it.

The following recipe is actually based on one that I found on Tumblr a few years ago. I cannot find the exact recipe, but I’m certain that it was a blueberry banana smoothie recipe (apparently I really like blueberry and banana together…). This is the only smoothie that I have perfected. I’ve tried other variations and types of smoothies, but they just aren’t as great.

Please give this a try and let me know if like it! Comment below with any modifications or substitutions that you made! Also, if you have a smoothie recipe of your own/that you’ve found, please let me know. I love, love, love smoothies and would like to switch it up every now and then!

In November last year, I made the decision to become a Stella & Dot independent stylist. Stella & Dot is an amazing company that allows women to be their own boss and make their own schedule while empowering them with the tools they need to succeed. Plus the jewelry and accessories are gorgeous, so they basically sell themselves. I still had to consider whether or not I would be able to spend the time needed in order to make it a success. I already have a full-time job and take courses part-time but I knew I could make it all work. Plus, I had support from my boyfriend and my family. I decided to take the leap.

In my first month, I killed it. Making over 1,000 PQVs and earning a spot in the rookie top 10 list! This totally motivated me to keep going and confirmed that it was a good decision to join Stella & Dot.

I’m so excited to see where this goes in the months to come. If you’re interested in becoming a stylist or if you want to get your hands on some jewelry to up your style game this year, just let me know.

This week, I got strep throat! NICE. Which means that attending lecture was probably not a very smart idea! Through Posiel and friends, I found out that this week, we talked about something that’s true, that almost nobody agrees with you on. When I first heard of this I immediately thought of how my social circle and I view sleep differently. My friends are able to stay awake until 3:00 am, wake up at 8:00 am and have a perfectly normal day. Me on the other hand, if I have less than 8 hours of sleep, chances are I will have at least one breakdown. Now that I think about it, that’s probably why I’ve been such a mess the past couple of days. NICE.

Breakfast used to be my least favourite meal of the day. Why? Simple. I thought that all breakfast foods were awful. I’m glad that I was wrong: breakfast foods aren’t awful, it all depends on how you prepare them.

Oatmeal is something that I started to enjoy in my later high school years. In 2010, for some reason, I was on a huge health-kick and ate oatmeal every single day for months. However, I didn’t eat the best oatmeal that there was to offer – I just had instant apple and cinnamon oatmeal that you added milk or water to, then popped into the microwave. That got old real fast.

Fast forward to 2017. Last year, for a volunteer role (ironically, it was a Health Peer program), I had 7am meetings on Wednesdays. One of my fellow volunteers, Henri, would always be eating some attractive mixture out of a mason jar. It looked healthy. It looked delicious. One day, I asked him what he was eating. “Uhh… overnight oats?” My mind was blown. Cold oatmeal? I didn’t know that that was a thing.

And so, I started to make overnight oats. A couple of weeks ago, I was reading the packaging on my oats and saw thatthis website was written on it. I was ecstatic because I found so many promising recipes on it.

The following recipe is based on this “Blueberry Banana Overnight Oats” recipe, which I tweaked just a teensy bit.

I’ve been eating this every single day for the past two weeks. It’s. So. Good.

Please give this recipe a try and let me know if you enjoyed it just as much as I did! Feel free to comment any modifications or substitutions that you used!

1. In a mason jar or bowl, add the oats, almond milk, vanilla extract and chia seeds*. Stir to combine the ingredients.

2. Drop in the mixed berries and arrange the banana slices as you please.

3. Don't forget the honey! Drizzle the honey on top.

4. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Notes

* I would recommend fresh berries, if you can. The frozen berries will melt overnight and water down your oatmeal.** I like gelatinous chia seeds, which is why I usually mix them in in step 1. If you aren't the biggest fan of gelatinous chia seeds, you can sprinkle the chia seeds in either step 3 or 4. If you aren't a fan of chia seeds in general, you don't have to add them in.

I’ve always wanted to go to the movies alone, but I never did until November this past year.

It was a typical Thursday. I was irritated and bored. I didn’t want to socialize with any of my friends but wanted to go out and do something (it was just one of those days). I googled movies that were playing at my local theatre, and surprisingly a movie starring my favourite Bollywood actress was playing (VIDYA BALAN IS BAE). I bought my ticket and chose my seat through the Cineplex app and headed out.

Once I got there I kind of felt awkward, but it was too late (the movie theatre was pretty empty though). There was one attendant working at the concession and he looked awfully bored. I ordered small popcorn with no butter (lmfao I hate butter on popcorn) and bought a water bottle. Once I grabbed napkins, I started walking towards the theatre.

The next 10 minutes were probably the most awkward part for me. I had to sit outside the theatre because another movie was still playing. I felt like people walking past me were glaring at me, so I started checking my phone (I’m pretty sure no one truly cared b/c people were raving about the movie they just watched).

After the attendants finished cleaning the theatre, I went in found my seat. I sat in the top row on the middle seat, and guess what? I WAS THE ONLY ONE WATCHING THIS FILM LMFAO

Does this even count as going to movies alone? I mean it’s more like a private screening.

I made sure to make a Snapchat of me sitting alone in an empty theatre (lmfao I use Snapchat too much).

I’m sitting scrolling through my phone during the promos until I hear a phone vibrating…. I would be lying if I said I didn’t get freaked out. I could tell that the phone was in my row, but I was the only one there. I saw a man coming up the stairs and grab his phone from one of the end seats. He paused to stare at me for about 15 seconds (or what he could see of me and was probably thinking what is wrong with her).

Overall, it was the most enjoyable movie-going experience of my life tbh (mostly because I got to sing all the songs out loud without being a disturbance to anyone). I would say going to the movies alone is a confidence booster, because you’re going against the norm (in a less dramatic way).

Also, if you were wondering I watched “Tumhari Sulu” (Your Sulu). This was the perfect comedy film to watch alone, because it’s about a housewife who accidentally lands her dream job (she becomes a radio host for a late-night show) who faces criticism from her family. I would totally recommend anyone to watch it.

Also, here is the song I enjoyed the most during the movie (this video is a promo version and has snippets from throughout the movie).

Some days, I want to be soft. Instead of going bold and edgy, I want to go more subtle. Like I always say, when putting on a makeup look, it always makes a statement. Going soft is a much less frequent occurrence in my life. I don’t usually go for a look which projects the image of softness because what I’ve noticed is it makes me feel vulnerable. When applying this type of look, I typically find myself in a friendly mood. Subtle looks are more inviting. They don’t serve to challenge people. They’re easy and welcoming.

To take a look into the soft sphere there are a few immediate stylistic changes I make. For one, I steer away from intense, dark colors. Instead, I trend towards warmer colors like dusty pinks and soft browns. Nude lipsticks also decrease the level of drama. I also tend to veer away from dark, sharp contours. Some shadow and shape is still important to the face, but I don’t want the contour to overtake the look. The most noticeable change to my typical look is my eyeliner: instead of a thick sharp liner, I simply line my eye instead. These changes create a drastically different feel to my makeup look then what many people expect to see from me on a daily basis.

So much of what I do stays similar throughout the process, it’s just less. I contour my eyes and face with softer browns, I use less bronzer, less blush. I use less eyeliner, less bold colors, a less matte finish. The result is a warm, welcoming makeup look. This one in particular revolved around a soft pink eye look. Choosing the right type of pink was key to keeping this look soft. I could do everything else exactly the same, but with different shadow decisions, the look would send an entirely different message. Dusty rose is a wonderful shadow palette to work with. The soothing variety of pink is more welcoming as opposed to the abrasive nature of bright pinks. It also brings out the blue in my eyes, which I find to be quite fabulous. The edges are also more blended then usual to ensure a softer look. Shimmery shades can also have a softening effect. Not glitter mind you, however a soft shimmer is somewhat whimsical in feel and can add to a more kind appearance.

The look on my face tends to follow the same steps as usual, I just try to go for less and apply with a delicate touch. You can always layer more product on as needed but removing it is challenging. After still applying my foundation and powders and the works, contouring is the first step in creating a face with some dimension again. Remembering to go lighter is the key to keeping with the theme of the look. But it’s not always the shade which needs to be lightened, it’s just how you apply. Feathering it on creates a softer shadow which you can always deepen as needed. The same goes for bronzer. Over bronzing can ruin a look because it can draw too much attention. A very light blush can be applied to give some color to your cheeks as well. The final touch for the face is highlight. No soft look would be complete without highlight. Not wanting to stray from my ways, I still utilize my lovely matte highlighting shades. However, I tend to go for a brighter one to brighten the face. There is something angelic about the outcome which perfectly suits the look. And of course, no look would be complete without lipstick. A nice nude lip pulls it all together without overwhelming the face but still finalizes the face.

Did heartbreak only occur when a second party was involved? Did it have to be inflicted by a lover? A family member?

Or, could your own thoughts and made-up fantasies cause the same terrible damage?

It was these questions that had puzzled her for days. She laid in bed and felt them float above her head. She could almost see the curve of each individual letter pertaining to the dreadful problems.

They demanded answers. Yet, she was unable to grasp an intellectual answer.

She could only answer with emotion.

But, how could she find the words to explain that she felt her heart drop to her stomach so often, that she wasn’t even sure if her heart was in its proper place anymore? Her chest was left hollow. A deep blue substance of melancholy and dissatisfaction had filled the empty cavity.

She walked through the day in a daze, with the constant feeling of blue.

She wanted to bury herself in it and hideaway.

She wanted to force her heart back together and return it to its rightful home.

But, the blue was always stronger than her pathetic thoughts. She couldn’t conquer the blue. Instead, she remained in bed, staring at the letters belonging to her emotional questions.

Under The Sea

Have you ever thought of escaping to a different world? Well if you have ever had that thought, or one similar, you must drop whatever you are doing right now and go scuba diving. Scuba diving is hard to explain to those who have never experienced it, but in my best description, it is like flying through the sky overtop of a world completely different from our own (with thought of sharks always looming in the back of your head). I first got the thought of becoming a PADI certified open water diver after my parents booked our family a trip to Hawaii. I had always loved snorkelling but always wanted to take it that step further. So after a few google searches I found that I could get certified at UBC over a two week program which took place right before our trip. So feeling spontaneous I signed myself up and it is by far one of the best decisions I ever made.

Something that is so important to me is sharing my love for the outdoors with others, and inspiring people to explore as much as they can. I currently try to do that by posting photos of my adventures on Instagram, hoping to ignite a spark in my followers; as well as inviting others out on different hikes and camping trips I am planning. One person who I begun to take on more and more adventures is my youngest brother Trey. He is only fifteen, and his appreciation for the outdoors, and exploring new activities is inspiring. I think that it is so important that we all share our passions and interests with others and show others how much our world has to offer.

I captured the photo on the right during Trey and I’s first overnight camping trip together to Jones Lake, located just outside of Chilliwack. After a two hour highway drive listening to everything from The Red Hot Chilli Peppers to Mumford and Sons we arrived at the dirt road which leads to the lake. The road that leads to the lake is not for those who drive shinny sports cars or people who don’t like the thrill of driving on the edge of cliffs. However if you able to make the drive the lake that greets you at the top is nothing short of spectacular. As you drive along the perimeter road you can see the reflection of the cascading mountains in the background reflect off the water.

Once we found an open piece of beach along the lake we pulled over to set up camp. Our camp was set up just behind where this photo was taken, so it is needless to say that our view was amazing. Those who passed by were definitely jealous of our home away from home. As the day went on we swam in the lake, took lots of photos, and hung out in our hammocks. When the sun finally set we gassed up our fire pit and enjoyed the peacefulness of our surroundings. It is in those moments where I can never see myself living anywhere else other than in the pacific north west. Hopefully by sharing my passion for the outdoors and discovering new places I am able to ignite that same feeling in others.

The Beginning.

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog. It has been a fun but challenging week starting up a blog but finally feel as if I am getting the hang of it. The hardest part so far definitely has to be choosing and sticking to a theme. As soon as I think I have found the one, a new one is always right around the corner.

So what is my blog about?

For the past two years photography has become a growing passion of mine and I bring my camera with me on all my adventures. I enjoy taking photos, editing them, and posting them to Instagram but it never really goes farther than that. In this blog I will tell the stories behind the photos, my perspective on photography, and offer ideas on how you can live a life full of fun and adventures.

Let us begin!

My favourite season in Vancouver is undoubtedly summer. The countless activities, and (mostly) warm weather, means everyday is an opportunity to try something new, or go on an adventure with friends! This summer I took some time and added a new sport to my profile, wake surfing. When you think of surfing you often think of big waves, beaches, and getting tossed around in the waves. Wake surfing takes all of those factors out and makes surfing a fun and enjoyable sport for everyone. All you need is the wake made by a boat, a smaller board, and virtually any body of water and you are surfing! For example, this summer I did most of my wake surfing up and down the Indian Arm in front of Deep cove; miles away from any natural big surf waves.

The two photos I am showcasing of wake surfing both came from our last day out on the water before heading back to school. The first is of myself, taken by a fellow photographer friend. Getting the camera so close to the water definitely was a risk but the outcome of the photo was certainly worth it! The bright colours, lush background and unique perspective, make it a great photo in my opinion. You can clearly see the joy in my face, and I hope it makes you want to give wake surfing a try this summer if you have the opportunity.

The second photo I captured was taken with my drone, which allows me to get unique perspectives many have not seen. In the photo you can see the boat we used for the wave, and all of us enjoying a beautiful day on the water. There is something about being on the water, on a warm summer day that takes all worries away. Add a fun sport like wake surfing in the mix and there is no doubt it will be another successful summer memory for the books.

I flew out for my BFFs graduation to Louisana. We became friends through Tumblr.

It often shocks everyone that I have actual close friends from the interwebz (this is my preferred term lol). When I was younger, I was an avid blogger on Tumblr (if you were wondering… I rarely reblogged lol). I became a part of desi (people of South Asian descent) Tumblr, and it was the best thing ever.

Most of us were first generation desis in western countries. We shared similar experiences that brought us closer and created a sense of trust. I remember we would share stories online from our day even if they were insignificant, and sometimes we made serious posts.

Honestly, I would describe my Tumblr posts as my inner monologue. I would write what I was thinking and couldn’t say in real life. I guess this is why I was uncomfortable with people from my real life reading my blog (ABSOLUTELY HATED IT).

Nonetheless, I believe my Tumblr experience has made me better at knowing who to trust online and who to stay away from.

I find myself being trusting of strangers in real life. If I’m in a comfortable setting, I have no problem striking up a conversation with a stranger. However, I’m mostly not in a comfortable setting and I’m very shy stopping me from having any conversation at all.

This week I talked to a stranger in the elevator at work. It was weird.

The conversation started when I said “oops,” because I decided to press the wrong floor (low-key kind of embarrassed). He slightly laughed and said, “don’t worry, it’s a Friday.” The rest of the elevator ride, we just talked about how Fridays are the best. It wasn’t an intense conversation, but it was nice and light.

Will I see this person again? Probably. Will I start a conversation? No, I’ll probably just smile.

I could not contain my excitement, so I created a WordPress account and bought a domain as soon as I could. I made the mistake of creating a separate WordPress account rather than installing it through Reclaim Hosting, which I would later come to realize. By creating a separate WordPress account, I struggled with transferring my domain over to my blog. I did not want to make any posts until I could figure this out. Thankfully, Ariel addressed this during the first tutorial and it felt good to know I wasn’t the only one with the same problem.

Once I had setup my blog through Reclaim Hosting, the struggle to choose my blog theme began. I downloaded and searched through multiple themes to find something suitable for my blog. I think my blog will sort of be like a journal? Not really sure, but I definitely wanted a more text-friendly theme. I’m not lying when I say I searched about high and low for a WordPress theme.

The theme that I chose (for now at least) is called Teletype by DinevThemes. I think the minimalistic layout of this theme appealed to me the most when compared to others (also, I really like courier new for text heavy blogs). I customized the theme with my preferred colours (pink of course lol). I used Canva to make a plain header to match the footer of my blog. In my opinion, the customization of the theme for aesthetic purposes was the easiest part. I wanted my theme to mimic my vision board that represented me as a person, and I think I found the perfect one.

The most difficult aspect of setting up my WordPress blog was creating the menu. I referred to Codex, but it still took me several tries since what I did on the dashboard wouldn’t show up on my blog. I eventually had to go in and customize my theme for the menu to appear. However, I did not struggle with creating a separate category for my Posiel 101 posts (weirdly surprising).

I wrote two blogs posts in midst of this chaos, but I decided to wait before posting them as I wanted to have my blog layout figured out. Also, I still don’t know how to disable comments on my ‘about’ page…. (sigh)

As I was filling out the chart, it forces me to think more in details of my plans and ideas. My original website/blog is not exactly the fittest with the business and more professional side of me, which leads me to consider opening another website to portrait my professional translator self. It is a new territory that I have yet to explore since the translation jobs I have done so far are all through personal contact, and are volunteer jobs instead of paid jobs.

At this moment, I would like to focus on my new professional website, which is still in development. I thought that it might be difficult for it to just be a translation service website, therefore I wanted to also include posts and articles I write on my views on translation. It would fit well with another course I am taking currently, which is about Translation and Translation studies. I also want to put up my own writings and and translations so that audiences and possible customers would have a taste of what my writing is like.

One of the key feature I would like to put in my website is making it bilingual. I want to make my website in both Chinese and English, with a tab on top to change the language. The translation service I will be providing is Chinese-English and the opposite, and the language changing feature would be appealing and convenient for customers.

For the title of my website, I first thought of using the name “Bridge Across”. Bridges link different places that are separated together and this is what I want my translations to do. However, since I want to make my website bilingual, it might create a slight inconsistency because I still couldn’t think of a good enough Chinese title that matches the English one. I have a pen name for my writings. It is in Chinese and it has the meaning of governing books, or in my interpretation of it, creating and protecting the books and words. If I use my pen name for the title and use pinyin in the English version, it would lost its meaning.

Do what you love and never be afraid of taking risks. If you are good at something, if you are passionate about it, use it to your damn advantage and become the best at what you do. The future is in our hands. Why wait till tomorrow when you can start today?